Return
by Rogue Darth Skywalker
Summary: Padme waits for Anakin to return at the start of Revenge of the Sith. Just a little oneshot I was dabbling about with.


**Just a little story I was playing around with last night. Might not be my best work, but it's finished so... might as well post it.**

* * *

The night sky flashed and rumbled overhead as the battle over Coruscant continued. It had lasted for days and where at first there had been terror at the first sight of enemy ships landing, the capital of the Republic was resilient. Once the landing droids had been pushed back until only their battleships and fighters remained, the city planet below resumed normality as buildings were repaired and defeated droids were incinerated.

Padme rested her hand on her stomach as she felt the flutter of the life inside her shift. She knew the battle overhead would end soon. She could feel it. The Jedi Council had called back Anakin and Obi-Wan and their combined fleets would no doubt prove to be a host with enough men and fire power to push back the depleted droid numbers. She also knew that those two Jedi in particular would be able to rescue the Chancellor and bring him back to the Senate safely. Yet despite her confidence in their abilities, she could not help but worry. What else was a wife to do while her husband was away fighting in a war? Anakin may have promised to always come home to her, but she had seen him hurt many times before and there had been so many rumors that he had been killed and some of them so close to what had actually been reported in official military documents, that part of her worried about the validity of such rumors. Her pregnancy had only made those worries worse.

It had been such a surprise when she found out. They had always been so careful, so aware that now was not the time to start a family. A war, a secret marriage, the Jedi's code that forbade attachments; it was not an ideal situation. The news had shook her, and for a brief moment, she considered terminating it while there was still a chance to continue as they had grown accustomed to. But the more she thought about it, about what this life could do for them and what they could do for it— what they could do for their child— she found the thought of ending that beautiful dream abhorrent to her. Perhaps the choice had been too idyllic, and naive; it wouldn't be the first time she had been called such. But nevertheless, she believed that such a miracle could be nothing less than wonderful.

A loud rumble and a series of red-orange fire streaked across the sky before disappearing over the horizon with a low boom as a piece of wreckage crashed to the surface below. Such things had become common as the battle raged. Fear swelled inside her not just for the battle, but for her child. Anakin still knew nothing of its existence, and so she had no idea how he would feel when he did learn about it. They never talked seriously about having children. Every time the subject came up, it had always been when they were safely engrossed in the fantasy of the life they wanted to build. Safe in dreams whose only purpose was to elicit a smile or a laugh to heighten what happiness they could in a galaxy tearing itself apart. He always knew she wanted a family. And she always believed he would be an amazing father. He loved people so deeply and so purely that it was easy to feel safe in his arms even enemy ships bombarded them with explosive shots.

She could see their future so clearly, see the beautiful family they could have. The lake house on Varykino, the meadow. She could see them all sitting by the waterfalls or on the lakes edge. Smiling as they watched their children play in the water. She could see Anakin overcoming his dislike of sand to build sandcastles with their younger daughters. Or swimming laps with their boys. She could see them all running and laughing without a care in the world. No war. No Jedi. No politics. Just them. Just their family. It was a beautiful dream. And with less than two months left, it was so close to reality.

The light pulse of her protocol droid's limbs alerted her to the droid's presence. Light reflected off his gold plate as he gave a stiff bow out of politeness before he spoke, "Milady, it is getting very late. Perhaps it's best to turn in? You have a busy schedule tomorrow and you will need your rest."

Padme gave Threepio a small smile before turning her eyes back to the sky. Maybe Anakin was already in the battle above, and if he wasn't, he probably would be very soon. She closed her eyes as she whispered a silent prayer for his safe return to her, a habit she had formed for when politics seemed to fail her in her attempts to bring a peaceful end to the war. It made her feel less helpless in an ever-changing system and gave her hope that even if she could not do anything, then perhaps some power higher than herself could. Padme watched the sky for only a moment longer before forcing herself to turn away from her open balcony and try to shift her mind to ready for sleep.

—

In the absence of the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor Mas Amedda tried to rally the Senate to order. The task proved fruitless as uncertainty plagued the system. Some believed the attack on the capital marked the beginning of the end, some saw it as a bold and foolish move… regardless, it left the senate unsure how to proceed as they had nothing of value to trade for the Chancellor's return. The Separatists held all the cards, and they knew that whatever face the Republic put on was a blatant bluff. Yet despite all that, Padme refused to sit idle when there were other problems the Republic faced. Padme sat through meeting after meeting with allies and opposition as she tried to work out possible concessions for relief aid for refugees and arrangements for the long-term re-placement of displaced people. The work was taking a toll on her physically. Sitting still had started to get uncomfortable only about three months ago and the gowns she wore had gotten heavier and heavier in an attempt to hide her pregnancy. It was also getting harder to bring out the command in her voice as her child took up more and more of the space she normally used for public speaking. And as the child grew more restless inside her (a trait she was certain they inherited from their father), she had to learn how to speak in such a way that accounted for having less space and in a way that didn't let on about the kicks and jabs she was receiving in the process.

Padme tried to make her schedule less tiresome, but even a more lax schedule by a galactic senator's standards, was still quite strenuous for a pregnant woman. She found herself winded by midday. Excusing herself from a meeting with Bail and Mon Mothma as they discussed minor details about a sub article in a trade agreement, Padme found a short moment of reprieve in her office as she sunk down into the plush couch on the side of her office. It wasn't the most comfortable couch with its stiff back and firm cushions, but it was better than her desk chair at the moment. Alone, she took the moment to simply stretch out her legs to release some of the pressure she felt on her feet. She wished she could take off her shoes, but then she'd have to struggle with her belly and swollen feet to put them back on. She sighed as she took what comfort she could in the moment.

Early reports from the morning had indicated that Anakin and Obi-Wan's fleets had indeed arrived and were engaging in the battle. Little information after that was known. The holonews had been sporadic in their coverage, no network wanting to air too much of the devastation in the skies above, but every now and then they managed to show some footage. It was always grainy from being shot as far away from the battle as possible, but small glimpses were enough to show how the arrival of more warships had aided in the defense of the planet. Whenever possible she had Threepio watch the reels to search for Anakin's ship in the fray but so far she had seen nothing.

The door to her office opened slowly as her handmaiden walked briskly in. She carried a datapad in her hands, her fingers tapping along the edge in nervousness as she approached. her. Padme could tell immediately that it was urgent. It took some effort to sit up and she hissed as the bottoms of her feet touched the ground once more. Dorme glanced down at the datapad only long enough to check the content before wordlessly passing it to her.

Padme frowned as she took it. A still image of what looked like a Confederate ship crashing filled the screen. With a tap of her thumb, the image played the scene that had been captured.

"…Confederate flagship, The Invisible Hand, crashed earlier today on a runway near the Financial District of the planet." The reporter said in a voiceover. "The atmosphere tore the ship apart on entry after suffering catastrophic damage from a Republic Cruiser. On board the half that contained the ship's central controls, Officials are proud to report that Chancellor Sheev Palpatine has been found on board and in the hands of Jedi Master, General Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Padme's eyes widened as she glanced up at Dorme. If Obi-Wan was now on world, then Anakin had to be too. Her handmaiden raised her brow in the direction of the datapad still in her hands, silently urging her to keep watching.

"…Skywalker was found in the wreckage but suffering from serious injuries, the extent of which are unknown. Disembarkment of the Droid ship was under heavy security as personnel from the Military Center helped to keep the incident under wraps…" On the screen, she could see the fire brigade ships hovering over the wreckage while the Coruscant Guard Clone units made a barrier to keep prying eyes away. Padme squinted as she watched a mass of bodies start to move behind the barrier, the stuttering movements and bulk of the people left the impression that Anakin's injuries affected his ability to walk. She knew him well enough to know that if he could move on his own, he would, regardless of what doctor's recommended.

"Where is he?" She asked, her eyes still watching the datapad, carefully skimming through the footage, searching for even a small glimpse that would tell her what to expect.

"The Temple," Dorme answered.

She nodded and placed the datapad on the couch beside her and braced herself to stand. Dorme was quick to move in to help her to her feet, knowing very well how difficult the weight was on her back. Her body protested at moving so suddenly, but Padme was stubborn when she set her mind to something. She left the Senate Office Complex at a rapid walk, Dorme following close behind, her fingers typing quick messages and notes to adjust her mistress's schedule. The speeder was already ready for her by the time she arrived at the landing bay, her security captain, Typho, already holding the door open for her to allow her and Dorme to climb in. By now she was sure he had already been informed where to go, but just to be sure and out of habit she told him, "The Jedi Temple."

Padme bunched her fist in her dress as her speeder cut past traffic towards the ancient structure. The five spires shot out of a massive stone base which housed majority of the Temple's facilities. Few outsiders ever saw the inside of the building. But she had. The Jedi considered her a trusted ally and she had been fortunate enough to befriend several influential Jedi within the Order. She may not agree with some of the tenants they follow, especially when they keep her and Anakin apart, but she did have a respect for what they stood for. Peace. Balance. Compassion. The Jedi believed that these goals were to be achieved through the Force and knowledge. And while that may be possible on an individual level, Padme fought for them from a societal level. But regardless of their philosophical differences, the trust they put in her by telling her about their ancient enemies and trusting her with covert information was something that she hoped would grant her access to the Temple to see Anakin.

—

Padme let out a huff at the stoic Jedi blocking the entrance. "I demand entry to visit Anakin Skywalker," She said.

"I can't let you in, I'm sorry, Senator," The Jedi said yet again, much to her annoyance.

"Then ask Master Kenobi," She said. Obi-Wan could not deny her a visit. He may not know the extent of her relationship with Anakin, but he knew they were at least friends.

"Master Kenobi has not returned yet. I can have him comm you when he returns—"

Padme resisted the urge to pull at her immaculately styled hair. She wasn't getting anywhere with this one. And she didn't know when Obi-Wan would be back. But she couldn't leave Anakin alone not knowing the extent of his injuries. The holonews was already running stories about Count Dooku's death. And with him dead, that no doubt meant that Anakin had faced him. And if he had, what if the injuries he sustained were fatal? Padme shook the thought from her head as she eyed the Jedi before her once again. He did not seem to like the aggressive confrontation but he also seemed at a loss for how to get rid of her. Letting her in would certainly make both their days better. Behind the Jedi, she noticed the small crowd of Jedi watching with curiosity. Maybe it was the hormones, but she didn't care. Let them watch, she thought, maybe then someone would let her in.

"Padme?"

The crowd parted revealing Obi-Wan, his cloak absent as he closed the distance. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm here to see Anakin," She said, her chin held high, in a way that came off as cocky to the Jedi guarding the Temple.

A look of concern crossed his face, worrying her as to her husband's condition. Obi-Wan waved off the other Jedi and Padme passed him, resisting gloating at her entry. There were other things that occupied her mind. "He's alive," Obi-Wan started as they walked down the main hall slowly. "But… he's critical." His voice came out low and almost as a whisper. The older Jedi's eyes took in her appearance and she wondered what he was thinking.

She didn't have to wonder long.

Obi-Wan placed a kind hand on her forearm. "I know," He whispered.

It took her a moment to understand his meaning, trying to find anything else he could be referring to. The way he said it, the flash in his grey eyes… it all told her what she didn't want it to be.

"I know," He said again. His eyes glanced from side to side, cautious of curious eyes. Carefully, he led her by the arm down the hallway.

Padme kept darting glances at Obi-Wan as they walked, she wanted him to say more, to tell her about Anakin, or what he would do since he did know. But there were witnesses, Jedi walked the halls and no matter how private they tried to be, the halls were much too open for what she needed to hear. He led her towards a lift that was fairly new to her. Away from the gardens and the lift to the Council Chambers, and far from the Jedi Archives. One of the open rooms showed what looked like a medical office, but Obi-Wan guided her into a lift and promptly selected a floor and waited for the doors to close.

"Anakin is alive," He said, his eyes trained on the single sliding door of the lift.

She let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding as a painful thud slammed her from within. Her brow furrowed as she attempted to place a hand on her stomach, wanting to sooth her restless child.

The Jedi was too observant now not to miss the movement no matter how she tried to hide it. "Anakin's?" He asked.

She hesitated for a moment, but nodded. "He doesn't know," She said. "Our normal means of communication… I didn't want to risk this information being intercepted or…"

"Or distracting him," He finished. Obi-Wan nodded and folded his arms in front of him, his hand pensively stroking his beard as they rose higher and higher in the Temple.

"How bad?"

He shook his head, "Not good," He said, "After getting the Chancellor… Grevious managed to split us up. Apparently the two of them fought and…"

She didn't need to hear any more, and simply nodded her understanding.

The door opened and the two of them walked out onto a narrow hallway lined with rooms. Each room was occupied by Jedi in various stages of healing. Some looked to be almost ready to leave, while others looked as if they were days away from dying. Padme tried to look away from those rooms, wanting to give them privacy and, to her shame feeling thankful that it wasn't Anakin's room.

Obi-Wan turned into one of the rooms just before it wound around a corner. She froze in the doorway as she saw him. Anakin. Her breath hitched as her child kicked franticly within her, as if pushing her in the direction of their father. Slowly, she took several steps into the room. Obi-Wan kept close to the door until she was inside, his expression somber as he watched her approach the bed. She didn't like seeing him like this. She hated seeing him hurt, and grew annoyed whenever he tried to play off his injuries with a joke and sarcasm, but seeing him like this was worse. Laying prone on the bed, the covers pulled up to his chest, was her husband. Anakin.

—

This was not the reunion she thought they would have. She imagined finding a way to meet him secretly once he got back; maybe sneaking off to some corner of the city during the day where they can hide and spend time together before he is inevitable summoned to the Jedi Council, or maybe she would just wait until the evening when he would sneak into the apartment for the night. Padme imagined a sweet and romantic meeting, one where she can show him just how much she missed him and tell him the wonderful news she had kept secret for seven months. But instead of the beautiful meeting she had wished for, she now sat in a medical room waiting for him to wake up.

Time felt frozen as she sat there, her husband motionless save for the slow and steady rise and fall of his breath. A Jedi healer came in twice to check on him, surprised at first to see Padme there, but wordlessly fulfilled her responsibility before disappearing out of the room. Anakin was not as badly hurt as she imagined he could have been, but it was still awful to see him like this. The bandage around his head was stained brown where a burr hole had been drilled into his fractured skill to ease the pressure on his brain. It was supposed to make it possible for him to wake up, but that hasn't happened yet. But the damage to his head was only one of the many injuries that littered his body. His shoulder was bruised almost green from an older dislocation injury, his chest was wrapped tightly in bandages for his three broken ribs… Padme gave his hand a squeeze. "Oh, Anakin," She sighed. "Must you always be so reckless?"

"_I'm not reckless, I just like to think on my feet,"_ she could practically hear his response as she ran her thumb along his fingers. She felt a firm kick to her stomach as their child made their presence known. Her lips couldn't help but curl into a small smile as she slowly slid his hand from the bed and guided it to her belly. Dragging it across the surface, she waited for the next kick before pressing his palm to where she felt it and was rewarded with more kicks right under his palm. "Our little one is restless…" She whispered, as she ran his hand in a soothing circle over the surface, the baby more active than ever, as if demanding their father's attention. Tears started to well in her eyes as he was unable to respond to their child's need right now. She wanted to see him smile. Her eyes locked on his lips, and she could just imagine his smile being ten times brighter than hers was when he finally felt the flutter of life within her for the first time.

Her eyes closed tightly to stem off the tears as they started to well in her eyes, "We knew from the start that this war could take you from me," She said. "But that can't happen now. Not now, not when I need you most." She didn't know what the future held for them. She hasn't faced such uncertainty since her early days in the Senate. Back then it had been a time of transition, a time where she had to redefine herself to fulfill her duties to the best of her ability. Her staff and her friends had been her rock through it all and as much as she knew they would have her back through everything big or small, the inevitable backlash of her forbidden marriage and scandalous pregnancy was something she felt she and Anakin should bear the brunt of, after all, it had been their actions that led to this.

Reaching out, she brushed the pieces of his hair away from his face. It had gotten so much longer since she had last seen him, and the feel of his soft curls on the pads of her fingers again brought a sad smile to her face. "We need you, Ani," She said, bringing his hand to her cheek and kissing his palm tenderly.

"_I need you too," _She could practically hear his voice in her head laid his hand back to her stomach, her fingers molding between his as looked down at their joined hands. She gave a small squeeze and felt a twitch in reply. At first, it felt as if it was just from the positioning of their fingers but ever so slowly she saw another twitch, and felt the muscles slowly flex under her hand. Her eyes widened as she lifted her head to his face. His brow was contorted as saw his eyebrow jump slightly.

"Ani?" She squeezed his hand again, and felt a light squeeze in reply. Padme shifted to the edge of her seat as she stroked his cheek and watched the corner of his lip curl into a weak smile.

"Padme…" His voice was quiet, and hoarse, and she could barely hear it, but she did. She heard it.

"Yes, I'm here, I'm right here, Ani," He tried to lift his hand weakly, and knowing what he wanted, she brought it to her face, molding his hand to her cheek.

His eyes fluttered under heavy lids before cracking open slowly, revealing beautiful eyes of blue. Anakin cracked a small smile as he gently slid his fingers along her cheek before wincing and let out a pained grunt as he shifted.

"Easy," Padme warned, releasing his hand to help him. It took some doing with her being unbalanced and him still heavily influenced by pain medication, but after adjusting his pillows, and helping him shift some, he seemed to relax into what seemed to be a comfortable position. Her hands cupped his cheeks before she leaned over him and took his lips with her own. "Oh, Anakin," She sighed, pressing her forehead to his.

"Padme…" He whispered, taking comfort from just saying her name.

"I was so afraid…" She said, "We didn't know if you'd—"

"M'okay," He said, his brow quirking up to the bandage on his head, "It's just a bump." She shook her head. Of course he'd play it off just like she expected. Anakin tilted his head up, kissing her once more, "I've missed you, Padme," He said, his hand raising weakly to her face.

She took his hand in hers, and brought it down to her abdomen. Inside her she felt their child stir excitedly, as if aware that their father was awake. "We missed you too," She said, glancing down at their hands.

His brow furrowed in confusion as he let his gaze fall to where his hand rested. He rubbed his hand over the surface, feeling her through the fabric of the dress she wore, and felt the light tapping against his palm. Anakin stiffened, as he swallowed, his throat tightening as he looked back up at her. His eyes held a mix of emotions. Shock, awe, fear… she allowed him the time to process, watching his reaction carefully. Seven months she's waited for this very moment, and even now she was afraid of what he could say.

"Y-you're… You mean, I-I'm…?" His throat bobbed as he struggled with his words as he kept his gaze firmly locked on her stomach. As if to answer their father's question, another resounding thump pressed against his palm as his lips curled into a happy surprised smile as he let out a breathy laugh and rubbed soothing circles over her belly. "A baby…" He said, more to himself than to her. Anakin lifted his gaze to her and she smiled down at him as she leaned forward. He kissed her happily, pulling back only when it became necessary to breath. "We're having a baby…" He said.

Relief filled her from his joyous reaction to the news as she nodded in response, the baby kicking at his hand. It was a little uncomfortable, but at the moment she didn't care. "We have a restless little one," She said. "Seems like he takes after his father."

His lips curled into a wide toothy grin, "He?"

Padme shrugged. She doesn't know for sure, but it just feels like their baby is a boy. The baby kicked as if in agreement, but Anakin didn't take it like that.

"A kick that hard?" He shook his head, "Definitely a girl." His eyes narrowed playfully, challenging her to question him and she pursed her lips in response. If he was well enough for playful banter, then he obviously was on the road to recovery. And for the moment, she was willing to play along.

END


End file.
